Real break with the ‘old politics’ came with Corbyn

01 March, 2019

• THE Independent Group of MPs are being described by themselves and most of the media as representing the beginning of a break with the “old politics”.

But the real break with “old politics” came with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party by rank-and-file old, new and returning Labour Party members – 251,417 votes in 2015 and 313,209 in 2016. In the face of daily – even hourly – personal and political attacks, Jeremy Corbyn and his leadership team rebuilt the Labour shadow cabinet after mass resignations.

Party membership reached half a million, representative democracy was restored within the party and the manifesto for the 2017 general election resulted in a Labour vote of more than 13 million – more than the almost 12 million in the 1945 general election and the 10.5 million in 1997.

Whatever the reasons given for the current resignations (and there must be a continuous stand against anti-semitism and all forms of racism), it is the breath of the fresh air of rank-and-file Labour members and supporters that is blowing through the corridors of the House of Commons. The “old politics” don’t like it up ’em.